Lady Sovereign November 24, 2006

Garage Rap/Grime:
The self-proclaimed "biggest midget in the game," MC Lady Sovereign has an unmistakably U.K. delivery and style, her sly wit and brash charisma over bottom-heavy beats creating a worldwide buzz. Born Louise Harman, she was raised in northwest London's notorious Chalkhill Estate, a public housing project known for being especially rough and ragged. Although she admits her upbringing could get dangerous or depressing in these surroundings, Sovereign focused on the unique unity in the Chalkhill community, and the street cred she was earning there would soon be vital to the grime community taking her seriously. She dropped out of school and landed a gig acting in an educational film about the life of an up-and-coming MC. Demos she made for the soundtrack landed in the hands of the producer, Medasyn, who put her on a male MC vs. female MC 12" he was working on titled "The Battle." While "A Little Bit of Shhh!," "9 to 5," and "Ch Ching" were flying out of the record bins, free Internet-only freestyles like "Tango" and "Cheeky" were becoming just as popular with the grime faithful. She met with hip-hop megastar and label CEO Jay-Z. With Usher and L.A. Reid seated next to him, Jay-Z asked for one on-the-spot freestyle from Sovereign before offering her a contract with Def Jam. With the fist-raising single "Hoodie" leading the way, Lady Sovereign released her full-length debut on Def Jam in 2006.